


My New World

by imthederpyfox



Series: Glee [8]
Category: Glee
Genre: Adoption, Angst, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Attraction, Blood, Bullying, Car Accident mention, Eating Disorders, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Family Death, Fear, Fighting, Homophobia, I might have missed some, I'll update as we go along, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mentions of Death, Overworking, Pain, Panic Attack, Possibly Slow Burn, Relationship Issues, Single Dad AU, Trust Issues, Violence, Vomit, avoiding food, bashing, godparent AU, mentions of bad past, multiple jobs, overpotection, we'll see
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:08:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29354748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imthederpyfox/pseuds/imthederpyfox
Summary: After an unfortunate accident that Kurt had hoped to never have to face alone, he find himself with a handful of twin toddlers; and no idea how to raise them.Putting his dreams and life on hold wasn't an option he could avoid, it's hard, and some days he feels like just giving up. But he could never do that to the two little ones.Unfortunately, his situation makes it difficult to meet anyone, hell, most of the time he can't even see his friends, let alone date, or go to auditions or watch his friends perform. The kids always come first. So what happens when he meets an unlikely guy? When the kids start asking difficult questions, and when he feels like he'll never be able to get his life in order?
Relationships: Barole, Brittana - Relationship, Finchel, Kurtbastian - Relationship, Niff - Relationship, Past Klaine - Relationship, Samcedes, klaine - Relationship, maybe more, platonic furt, platonic pukurt
Series: Glee [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1530836
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13





	1. The Twins

"No, Rachel, I think it's great that you bought us tickets, I just don't think Rocky Horror is a great show for twin toddlers." Kurt rolled his eyes, rushing around making sure the two troublesome toddlers had their breakfast - without them managing to get it all over the place and over their fresh cleaned clothes. "No, honey, your top is on backwards..."  
The young boy grinned and let Kurt help him twist his arms around so that his shirt was the correct way.  
  
"But I'm playing Janet, and Jesse said it'd be a good night out for you and the kids." Rachel protested.  
"As exciting as that sounds, Rach, Rocky Horror was too risqué for high school, let alone two little kids who are mischievous enough as it is." Kurt reminded her. "Ok, Eli, Harley, eat up and go get your shoes on, we don't want to be late!" He watched the kids run off before turning back to his best friend, picking up toys from the floor. "Rachel, Rocky is _not_ a suitable show for those two."  
Rachel huffed. "Ok, get a babysitter, and you can come and bring some other people!"  
  
Kurt frowned, continuing to clean up the messy island counter. "No, no, look, they're at a weird age at the moment, I can't just ditch them for a night." He sighed at her pointed look. "Look, honey, if I can make it, I will." He told her, rubbing her shoulder. "But, you know, everything's up in the air and Eli's been having trouble with tutoring and everything, it's just not a good time."  
Rachel nodded a little. "Right, ok, well... How about, some point soon, you let someone else look after the kids, maybe me and Mercedes or something, and I can... ya know... set you up with someone-"  
"-What?!" Kurt looked up at her from wiping down the sink.  
  
"You know, there's some really cute guys in Rocky, the guy who's playing Eddie is really nice and sweet, and I just heard recently that he's single-"  
"Rachel... Please..." Kurt shook his head, quickly grabbing Harley as she came running toward him, lifting her up and resting her on his hip. "Hi, honey, all set?" He smiled.  
The little girl nodded, chewing on her fingers as her blonde curls bounced around, unruly as ever. Kurt wiped her hair back with his hand carefully, grabbing a small grip and pinning them back as best he could. "Do we have to go tute-ring today?" She asked softly.  
Kurt nodded a little. "Yeah, sweetie, I can't teach you all the time." He placed her down. "Ok, now go and get your coat and make sure your brother isn't brushing his hair again with his toothbrush?"  
  
"Ok!" She went running off again back down the hall.  
"Thank you!" Kurt called after her before turning back to Rachel with a heavy sigh. "I wish they liked the tutoring better." He muttered.  
Rachel looked down to her phone as it pinged. "I have to go, sweetie, but will you at least _think_ about the date idea?"  
  
Looking as put-out as possible, he sighed. "I will _think_ about it. Look, I gotta get the kids to tutoring and then get to work, hopefully not late this time." He grabbed the kids book bags, checking to make sure they had everything they needed. "Kids! Come on!" He shouted through. "I swear it's just easier for me to tutor them at home myself..."  
"It's only a couple days a week they're at tutoring, right?" Rachel asked, gathering her own bag.  
Kurt sighed and nodded. "Yeah, it takes them off my hands for two days a week but I still have work and everything, and getting them to agree to leave the house for school is like herding cats." He explained, making Rachel chuckle.  
  
"Right, I gotta run, good luck at work!" Rachel smiled, kissing him on the cheek and rushing toward the door. "And get yourself back out there, even if you won't let me set you up!"  
Kurt sighed, rolling his eyes. "Eli, Harley, come on, we're gonna be late!" He called out again. The twins ran in and he quickly helped make sure their jackets were on properly and pulled their bags over their shoulders. "Now we gotta go, but Uncle Blaine and Uncle Sam are gonna pick you up at lunch and bring you home, so they'll be watching for a few hours until I get home from work, ok?" He explained.  
"Mm-hmm!" Eli nodded, poking at the hole in Kurt's jeans above his kneecap. "Can we have pizza?"  
  
Kurt smirked. "I'm sure Uncle Sam will order you pizza, despite me telling him not to." He rolled his eyes, standing back up and taking the kids hands. "Now, come on! We've got twenty minutes to do a half-hour walk..."  
  
\------------

"Isabelle, you really didn't have to buy me lunch... again..." Kurt sighed, shaking his head as he sat in the conference room with his overly-nice boss. She'd given him a lot of lenience in his work because of his situation, so he tried ten times as hard as the others, just to try and make up to her all the things she'd done for him since he joined.   
The blonde woman smiled, looking up from her notes and her chopsticks to give him that warm look she held for him. "Nonsense, if I didn't, you would have skipped lunch again, and I can't have my best employee going hungry, especially with those little ones running you ragged."  
  
Kurt couldn't help but smile, accepting that his boss was simply trying to look after him, he did have a habit of forgetting to eat. Or, sometimes when everything was too stressful, avoiding food at all costs. "Well, thank you." He answered softly. "So, what do you think about Rachel's Rocky Horror idea...?"  
Isabelle shrugged a little. "Well, I agree that the kids shouldn't go with you, Rocky _is_ a _very_ adult musical." She smiled. "However, a night off wouldn't be such a bad thing for you, sweetie."  
"Why do people keep saying that?" Kurt sighed, closing his eyes dramatically.   
  
"When was the last time you auditioned for something? Or even went to see a show?" She countered, grinning at his caught expression.   
He sighed, racking his brain as he poked at his noodles. "Well, I had that audition for Joseph, but-but then Eli got sick, and, well, Blaine had an audition the next day and I wasn't going to risk him getting sick from the little rascal, and Harley had to stay with Sam and Mercedes because she had the school play the next week and, you know she was a major part and I didn't want her to get ill as well, so I had to stay with little Eli at home until he was better..."  
"Mmm-hmm." Isabelle nodded, showing a knowing smile to the young fashionista. 

Kurt shook his head, looking back down to his food and picking up a piece of broccoli with his chopsticks. "I sent you the mock-ups for Friday, by the way."  
"Oh, yay! I'll definitely look as soon as I escape to my office after my next meeting." She grinned. "Are you joining the Wednesday meeting? I forget if you needed it off."  
Kurt quickly nodded. "Oh, yes, yeah, I can make it." He smiled. "Mercedes is taking the twins shopping, which means I shouldn't even get interrupting texts this time." He smirked. "Hopefully..."  
Isabelle offered her kind, warm smile and placed her hand on his. "I know it can be hard, Kurt. I can't imagine doing what you're doing, especially so young. I really admire it, honestly."  
  
Kurt nodded a little, smiling a little sadly. "They're my responsibility. I couldn't just... I mean, I wouldn't even think about giving them up for a second."  
"I know. I also know it's hard, so, if you need a night off for anything, I would be happy to have them for a night or two. Just keep that in mind, sweetie." Isabelle reminded him, turning back to her notes.   
"I know. Thank you." He smiled back and looked back to his own task. Hopefully tonight he'd get home before the boys had turned the flat into a tip.   
  
\------------

"Sam? Blaine?" Kurt called out as he forced himself through the small hallway into the apartment, dropping his keys in the bowl and quickly shifting his files up in his arms before they fell everywhere.   
Sam soon came into the kitchen area, Eli clung to his hip and grinning, Harley pottering along the floor after him. "Hey, look who's back, kiddos!" Sam grinned.   
"Did you guys have fun with Uncle Sam?" Kurt smiled, throwing his files down on the counter on a clear spot and hugging Harley as she rushed over for a hug.   
"Uh-huh!" The small girl nodded shyly.   
Kurt smiled. "Good, how about you two go watch some TV while me and your Uncle catch up?"  
  
The kids rushed off into the lounge, and Kurt sighed, standing back up. "Sorry I'm late, there was a nightmare with stock and then someone misplaced the red felt from last season which we're trading with Gucci and..." Her sighed again. "Just... sorry."  
"Dude, it's fine." Sam chuckled. "Blaine had to take off about an hour ago, last minute audition. Says he couldn't talk about it, which we think is code for Disney." He stage-whispered as Eli rushed back in.   
"Definitely Disney." The small boy nodded.   
  
"They weren't any trouble?" Kurt asked softly, pouring the kids a glass of milk each.   
Sam shook his head and ruffled Eli's short chestnut hair. "Nah, not after the guitar came out, huh buddy?"  
Eli nodded enthusiastically. "I got to play Luke!"  
"Oh, you guys been practicing for Star Wars musical, huh?" Kurt smiled, handing the little kid both glasses. "Be careful, ok? And take one to your sister?"  
"Ok!" Eli agreed, staring at the glasses in his hands with his tongue stuck out in concentration, like it was the most important task in the world as he tottered off. 

Kurt looked back to Sam. "Did they eat their dinner?"  
Sam nodded, grabbing a beer from the fridge that Puck had left last time he'd babysat - much to Kurt's protests - and opened it. Now that Kurt was here he would let himself have a drink. He never did it when alone with the kids. "Yeah, Blaine made sure we didn't order pizza, but we did have take out."  
"It's ok, they eat healthy most of the time so it's nice to treat them every once in a while." Kurt smiled. He spotted Harley wondering in and tilted his head to her. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"  
  
"Uncle Elliot phoned earlier..." She muttered, fiddling with her sleeves.   
Kurt knelt down, turning his head the other way until she smiled. "Do you remember what Uncle Elliot _said_?"  
"Um... He said... um, something about a costume." She explained. "And-and music."   
"Ok..." Kurt smiled. "Well, thank you for taking a message." He ruffled her unruly blonde curls.   
She giggled and took a hold of his hand in both of her tiny ones. "Um, how come we have so many... so many Uncles and Aunties?" She asked, fiddling with his fingers.   
  
He chuckled. "Well, because daddy has a lot of close friends. Why are you asking, honey?"  
"Because, well, Stacey says her and Uncle Sammy and Tommy only... only have like... like two Uncles and Aunties, and we have-we have like... a hundred!" She exaggerated, holding her arms out in a big motion, making Kurt and Sam laugh.   
"Well, sweetie, you have two family aunties and uncles, but they're not very nice people." Kurt explained, picking her up and sitting her down on the counter. "But we choose our family as we grow up, and Uncle Sam and Uncle Blaine and Aunt Rachel and all the others are who I've chosen as my family, ok?"  
  
Harley seemed to ponder this for a moment. "Ok." She nodded. "Can I go brush my teeth like a big girl?"  
Kurt grinned. "Of course you can, it's way past bed-time, you little monkey!" He picked her up and put her back down on the floor, watching as she rushed off. "Take Eli with you, ok?"   
"Ok!" She shouted back.   
"Stacey wanted to face-time again, you know how the girls get when they talk." Sam explained.   
Kurt nodded. "It's fine, Sam. It's better than the questions they come home with after their classes..." He sighed, rubbing his eyes.   
  
"That bad?"  
"So bad." He nodded. "Especially when it's about... you know."  
Sam nodded in understanding, looking down at the floor. "Did you still need me and Mercedes to take Harley tomorrow? Or did you rearrange Eli's first karate lesson?"  
Kurt groaned, running his hands through his hair. "I knew I was forgetting something! I didn't write it on the planner..." He wondered over to the chalkboard next to the fridge, placing a new post-it note on the week after. "I've double-booked him, now." He tutted. "Karate and dinner at Michaels' house, god."  
"It's ok, dude, don't worry about it." Sam patted his shoulder.   
  
"He'll have to start next week... I'm sure the instructor won't mind, Harley's home though so I should phone Isabelle and let her know that I'll be working from home tomorrow night, because I have to help Cassie with a dance number tomorrow morning once I've dropped them off at their swimming lesson..." He shook his head, turning back to his friend. "Think I'm overdoing it?"  
Sam smirked. "You won't like my answer to that." He chuckled. "We should check the terrible twosome are all tucked in and then I gotta head back, Mercedes doesn't want me to be late for this show we've been watching."  
"Of course, Mercedes _will_ kill you if you miss even the opening credits." Kurt joked.   
  
\------------

Kurt smiled as he opened the door to one of his best friends. "Blaine, hi, sorry about the mess!" He apologised straight away, stepping back into the flat and trying not to focus on the fact he'd been trying to tidy up for half an hour and yet hadn't seemed to make a dent. "And sorry for, you know, asking you to take the kids to swimming, Cassie messaged me like an hour ago asking if I can make it early and she can be a bit... rough, with the new students."  
Blaine chuckled. "It's fine, Kurt." He opened his arms as the two kids ran over and hugged him. "Any excuse to spend time with my favourite Niece and Nephew!"   
"We're your only niece and nephew, Uncle Brain!" Harley reminded him.   
  
"Doesn't mean you're not my favourites!" Blaine chuckled, always amused by their nickname for him, which stemmed from them not being able to say his name. "Are you supposed to be wearing your tu-tu, little monster?"  
Kurt quickly turned around from sorting out the kids lunches. "No, no, honey, Harley! We've talked about this, no tu-tus for swimming, you need to wear your costume!"  
"But I want to wear my tu-tu!" She pouted, twisting back and forth on the spot in mock-innocence.   
  
"And I want a prince charming, ok, we're both not getting what we want." Kurt told her bluntly, shooing her back toward the kids room. "Come on, go get into your costume, we don't have long to get you ready!"  
Harley pottered back off and Kurt sighed deeply. "One day we'll get her to wear her costume first time." He shook his head in exasperation at Blaine.   
"I'm in my costume!" Eli grinned.   
"You're still not getting a cookie until lunchtime." Kurt smirked, turning back to their lunches. "I'll be round to pick you up from swimming at half twelve, and then I'll run you to Michael's parents, you're having dinner there tonight."  
  
"I know!" Eli drawled. "You already told me, cult!"   
Kurt shook his head. "One day, you'll be able to say my name properly." He smirked, ruffling the little boys' hair. "Harley! Come one, sweetie, Uncle Blaine is taking you swimming!"  
The small girl quickly rushed over, tiny shoes in hand.   
"Need me to put your shoes on?" Kurt asked, earning a nod. He began putting the girls' shoes on, glancing up to Blaine. "Are you still coming round for lunch? I have about an hour without the little monsters before I have to pick them up from swimming."   
  
Blaine chuckled. "Of course, I'll grab us something on the way back from practice."   
"Yay, nice adult lunch." Kurt smirked.   
  
\------------

"You need a break." Blaine chuckled, placing the food down on the counter.  
Kurt looked up at the other boy with a glare, before returning to having his head in his hands. "I'm fine."  
Blaine shook his head. "And that's obviously a lie." He began unpacking the food and wondered to the fridge for some drinks. "So, any plans for Harley later?"  
  
Kurt sighed. "I was thinking home-made candles and movie marathon." He explained. "But for this one hour, I would really appreciate not talking about the kids and just catching up on more adult stuff."  
Blaine nodded. "No problem." He handed Kurt his food with a wink. The other boy thanked him, moving a pile of drawings and crayons out of the way so the two could sit down and eat. "So, are you going to Rachel's show?"  
  
The older boy shrugged a little. "I'm undecided. I mean, I've already sort of seen her play Janet before, and, you know... Babysitting."  
Blaine nodded. "Jesse told her to stop giving you such a hard time with coming to shows, don't think she'll listen though." They both chuckled.   
It was strange that the two of them got along so well. They'd met on a dating website after Santana had forced him to 'try and get out there', and they both had realised they were better as friends. It worked for them though, even if it was awkward at first.   
  
"How did that date go last month?" Blaine asked, his thick eyebrows raising in suggestion.   
Kurt shook his head, smiling down at his salad. "I'm not lying when I say... there's nothing to tell."  
"You didn't cancel on _another_ one, did you?"   
"Harley had a school trip and no one could watch Eli." Kurt shrugged. "besides, whenever a guy finds out I have the twins they run away, and the last few guys that Tina set me up with didn't exactly work out well, I didn't have much faith in this one either."  
  
"Touché." Blaine shook his head with a smile. "I didn't run, though."  
"No, you stuck around and show up at the worst of times!" Kurt answered sassily. "Couldn't get rid of you if I tried."  
Blaine smirked. "You must have made an impact." He winked, earning a slap on the arm from the other boy.   
"Oh, shut up, Anderson."  
  
"Honestly, though, New York is full of amazing and eligible guys, I'm sure at least one of them would love the kids _and_ love _you_ just as much." Blaine shrugged.   
Kurt took a deep breath and sighed. "I know... I just..."  
"What are you scared of?"  
  
He took a moment to think, not sure how to answer that honestly. "I don't have the time. Ya know? There's always... clubs and swimming and tutoring, and then I teach them at home most days and then there's sleepovers and getting them to eat their dinner and actually wear matching shoes and not throw _oatmeal_ in each other's hair..." He shook his head. "And then I have work, and more work and more work because I need to be able to look after them. And then if they can accept all of that... what about my life leaves room for dates, or... or cuddling on the sofa or going on trips together?" He stared down at his food, poking at it. "I can barely look after them and myself, and all your lots endless crises... How would I be able to add more?"  
Blaine was watching him with a knowing look when he glanced back up. "I get it, Kurt. I just think you shouldn't give up on your own life because you're too busy worrying about theirs. You've been an _amazing_ guardian to them, but sometimes... well, you gotta think about yourself. Nobody thought you'd step up as well as you did-"  
  
"But I did, because I had to." There was a moments silence and Kurt looked down, rubbing his eyes. "Sorry... you're right, I'm just super tired right now and I don't have the time to be... looking for a man. I gotta be there for them..."  
Blaine nodded. "I know... I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have bought that stuff up on our kids-free adult lunch."   
Kurt smiled a little. "So... how was the new audition?"  
Blaine beamed. "It's not Disney."  
"It's _so_ Disney."


	2. Adversary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honestly so shocked by the amount of hits this story already has! Thank you guys so much

Sebastian Smythe was _not_ happy. First, his father and step-mother were shipping him off the New York to stay with his aunt, second, he had been forced to take a gap year from college and work at some photography company connected to said aunts' business and freelance for her. And, third, as much as he loved his little sister, he was going to have to look after her while he was there.   
Sometimes he really loathed his fathers' job. Or maybe it was the fact he wouldn't let him tag along to Egypt, or Spain or - at one point - Australia.   
"Stop pouting, Sebastian." His dad's gruff voice had him frowning harder than before, shaking his head and looking out of the window he tried to simply focus on the music coming through his earphones. And occasionally the cute first-class flight attendant who kept smiling at him as he walked past. 

Usually he would have slipped away with the guy to the bathroom or something, but he really wasn't in the mood right now.   
"Honestly, you'd think we were sending you to prison or something." His father continued. "You love your aunt and you want to run away to New York for college regardless."  
Sebastian sighed, shooting a pointed look at his father. "Yes, I also wanted to go this year..."  
"Don't get smart, Sebastian. Your father has a wonderful opportunity in Turkey and it's only for a couple of months." His step-mom spoke up, offering her kind smile. "We'll contact you when we can, and of course we'll bring you something nice back."  
  
Sebastian turned to look back out of the window. Yep, this was going to suck.   
Knowing his luck he'd be stuck with the shitty jobs, like bringing someone coffee or whatever the hell those people did. God, he just wanted to spend his gap year in Ohio or France, preferably the latter. 

\-------------

"Isabelle! Sorry we can't stay, thanks for looking after the boy and Colleen for a while." His father greeted his cousin, shaking her hand with a smile.   
Sebastian rolled his eyes. "The boy has a name." He reminded him. "Hi, Aunt Isabelle."   
Isabelle smiled, wrapping him in a hug. "Hi, little Sebby! Well, not so little anymore, huh?" She pulled back, looking up at him and how tall he'd gotten. "I'm sure we'll have fun while you're here. You dad said about looking around colleges?"  
  
He nodded a little, offering as polite a smile as he could because he did have a soft spot for his aunt, though he was still annoyed about the whole situation. "Yeah, father wants me put to work first." He mumbled.   
"Sebastian, last warning." His father reminded him. "Ok, we have to go to the hotel, and meet the babysitter you arranged for Colleen, while you show Sebastian around?" He turned his attention to Isabelle once again.   
  
"Of course!" Isabelle grinned, turning to Sebastian and rubbing his arm comfortingly. "Don't worry, Sebby, we'll have fun!"   
Sebastian nodded a little, leaning against the desk as his parents said their goodbyes. He offered a short nod to his father when he said his usual, professional goodbye. His step-mom gave him a tight hug and he patted her on the back because he knew this wasn't her fault. "We'll see you in a couple of months, ok, honey?"   
He nodded a little. "Yeah, sure."  
"Bye, Sebastian."  
"Bye... See ya later, Colly."  
  
"Bye-bye, Sebbers!" His little sister grinned before his parents took her away and he was left alone with his aunt.   
Isabelle smiled kindly. "Don't worry, Sebby. I know you don't want to be here that much, but I promise to try and make it fun." She tried to reassure him. "Tell you what, I have a lot of meetings and planning and spreads to make today, but I'll try to get through them as quick as I can, and then you and me can order in some take out, sit at the apartment and catch up with some films!"  
Sebastian couldn't help but smile at his aunts' enthusiasm. "Yeah, sure. Sounds nice." He sighed, shrugging a little. "And I guess before then, I'll... I don't know, go flirt with that cute receptionist or something-"  
  
"No, no, it's ok, I'm sure I could find someone to give you a look around, show you the ins and outs, maybe even take you downtown to the photography studio you'll be working at?" She offered, seeming apologetic that she wasn't the one showing him around.   
Sebastian sighed, nodding. "Yeah, yeah ok."  
"Come on, I think there's a few folks around who would be more than happy to look after you today." She smiled, taking his hand and pulling him out of her office. 

She looked around the office as they left the room. The place was fairly empty compared to when they'd arrived due to it being lunch time, so there were only a few options. Sebastian mostly just looked down at his phone while his aunt pondered who to pair him up with. On his way up, shuffling along after his parents, he'd have sworn he saw someone he recognised, but he was sure it was simply a trick of his eye.   
"Oh, I know the perfect person!" Isabelle grinned, patting his shoulder and leading the way to a desk to one side of the room.   
Sebastian followed, but slowed down when he realised the person he'd recognised before was _actually_ here.   
  
"Sebby, this is Kurt!" Isabelle introduced.   
Kurt looked up with a smile which slowly faded to a confused frown. "Oh good god..." He muttered.   
Isabelle looked between the two of them. "Do you two know each other?" She smiled.   
"Not by choice." Sebastian retorted, his eyes meeting Kurt's'. Neither of them were exactly happy to see the other.   
"Um, we met at Dalton." Kurt explained, shuffling in his seat a little. 

"So you're friends?" Isabelle grinned, looking between the two of them hopefully. Her phone ringing interrupted her and she sighed as she looked at it. "Look, I really have a lot of work to do, I'm sure Kurt would be happy to look after you for today, Sebby." She reassured her nephew, though it didn't help much.   
He supposed he was looking forward to riling Hummel up, that was always fun. Maybe he had a boyfriend he could try to steal or something.   
"Kurt, I'm sorry, but could you spend the afternoon babysitting Sebby here?" She asked the intern.   
  
Kurt opened his mouth a few times, unsure what to say.   
"Hey, I don't need a babysitter!" Sebastian argued.   
"You're trouble when you get going." Isabelle smirked at him. "Ok, have fun, kids, I really gotta run! I'll see you later, Sebby! Have fun!" She called behind her as she rushed off to answer the call.   
The two boys stared at each other for a moment.  
  
"Of all the pasty-faced gays they could have stuck me with, it had to be you, Hummel." Sebastian smirked a little, walking over with his hands in his pockets.   
And there was the patented Kurt Hummel eye roll. "I'm only going to babysit you because Isabelle asked me to and that woman's amazing." Kurt retorted. "What did she want me to do with you anyway? Jingle my keys in front of your face until you fall asleep?"  
"Ha-ha." Sebastian huffed. "You look tired, princess, NYADA too much for ya?"  
  
Kurt looked down at his screen, the glint of amusement from being able to have the back-and-forth they had always had had disappeared. Though they didn't get along at all, making fun of each other wad familiar territory, and if he was stuck with the meerkat man, he'd prefer to be able to throw barbs at each other instead of awkward silence and glares. "I'm not at NYADA." Kurt muttered, not even glancing at the other boy.   
Sebastian frowned. Ok, the back and forth wasn't exactly happening. "Drop out?"  
Kurt glanced to him for a second before shrugging. "I have other commitments, actually." Before Sebastian could ask any more questions, he pushed his rolling chair away from the desk and turned it to face the other boy, folding his arms and putting up his usual walls. "So how do you know Isabelle?"  
  
Sebastian shrugged a little. "She's my aunt, of course. In my family we have good genes." He smirked.   
Kurt huffed, shaking his head. "And what is she expecting me to do with you? give you paper and crayons and sit you in the corner?"  
"I wouldn't, I have a good knack for paper airplanes." Sebastian grinned, seeing he was getting under the other boys' skin already.   
"Of course..." Kurt sighed, rubbing his eyes.   
  
"Pretty sure she wanted you to give me the grand tour." Sebastian shrugged, looking back down at his phone. "Something about a photography studio where my father's forcing me to work... and I have a feeling Isabelle will be working later than she plans to so you might have to buy me pizza as a stand-in for her."   
"Great, another toddler..." Kurt mumbled.   
"Hmm?"  
"Nothing. Look, I'll... I'll show you around, but no snide comments, no hateful remarks, no bullying, no trying to steal a boyfriend I don't even have, deal?" Kurt offered, standing and dusting off his checked jeans. 

Sebastian smirked, putting his phone away and pushing himself up from sitting on the other boys' desk. "No promises, princess."  
Kurt sighed, this was going to be a long day...

\------------

_'I'm really sorry, Kurt, these guys are really on my ass about the spring cataloge... I don't suppose you could babysit Sebastian for another few hours...? I understand if not, but he's not in the best of moods because his parents have dropped him here for a while and everything... Ok, I'm rambling now, please, Kurt, please?'_

Kurt sighed. "Isabelle, you're rambling." He chuckled. He rolled his eyes as he spotted Sebastian sat at his desk, throwing paper balls at one of his colleagues and making eye-sex with him every time he looked up. "Look, me and Sebastian have... well, sort of a past, and-"  
  
 _'I thought so... what happened?'_

"Well, I mean... Well, I went to Dalton for a few months because of the anti-bullying thing, and I was part of the Warblers and I met a guy I liked, but when I moved back to McKinley, well, Sebastian was... kinda stealing this guy from me and always saying things about me and I know it sounds childish, but I always saw him as one of my tormentors, and I just, I don't think we could ever see eye to eye... He-he seems to be getting along well with Davith, maybe-maybe he can babysit him? Or something?" Kurt suggested, hopeful.  
  
 _'I'm sorry that happened, Kurt... I'm afraid to say that Sebby will be around for a while, at least a couple months. I know you don't have a good history, but I'm sure you've both grown up since then... Ok, well... I'm sure you've grown up a lot since then.'_ He could hear her grin on the other end of the line. He couldn't help but smile as well. _'Look, Kurt, at the end of the day, I picked you because I trust you so much and I know you're good at putting people in their place and Sebby needs that more often than he should... Plus, you know, you've got the kids so you're good at dealing with children. And I know you're probably one of the only ones that won't fall for his constant flirting.'_

Kurt sighed but chuckled again. "I get it, Isabelle... I just-there's just so much history, a lot of stuff went down and... I mean, I'm all for forgiveness and trying to grow up and everything, but I have to be honest and tell you I _really_ don't see Sebastian Smythe being willing to do the same thing."  
  
 _'I get it, honestly, honey... Look, I really have to go. If this is really a struggle for you, especially with the kids and everything, send him Davith's way. But I really hope you can give him a chance over the next couple months, he's been through a lot and he takes his anger out on other people a lot of the time which obviously gets him into trouble.'_

"I'll think about it, Isabelle. Get back to your meeting, I'll text you what happens." Kurt sighed, rubbing his eyes. 

_'Thank you, Kurt. I owe you one regardless of whether you decide to do this or not because I know it can't have been easy today. And thank you for telling me. I might have to have a word with Sebby about this all later...'_

"Oh, no, honestly, it's ok, Isabelle," Kurt quickly shook his head. "You don't have to talk to him. Ok, I'll let you know. Ok, bye. Good luck!" He sighed, hanging up the call and looking back over to the boy who'd managed to make his last couple years in Ohio a nightmare, who was currently now perched on Davith's desk - as if the other boy needed any more reasons to skive off of work - and was flirting up a storm, judging by Davith's toothy grin. "Oh god..." He whispered to himself. It looked like he had no choice, well, he did, but he wasn't about to abandon the other boy with a stranger at an office he didn't know in a strange city. Damn his need to be nice to people... 

He made his way over. "That was Isabelle." Kurt explained, walking over to Sebastian and taking his attention away from Davith.  
"Let me guess, she's gotta work late so I get to stay here and get to know David better." He smirked.   
"Davith." The intern corrected.   
Sebastian shrugged. "Look, it won't be _me_ shouting names later, alright?"   
"Oh god..." Kurt frowned. Why did he want to help this guy again? "Look, Isabelle said to look after you but..." He sighed, conflicted. On the one hand, he knew how much Sebastian hated him. He thrived off of mocking him and putting him down. But he didn't want to just chuck him on someone else because he was still pissed about high school. That was a long time ago, a lot had happened since them. "Well, I have to go home because of... commitments, but Isabelle wanted me to take you with me."

Sebastian raised a brow. "I'm probably good here." He smirked. "Why don't you go home and not shave because there's no way you grow facial hair, watch some midsummer murders or whatever prissy British people watch and no have sex with a boyfriend who doesn't exist? Me and Davith are fine here."  
Kurt frowned. Unbelievable. This shit shouldn't happen after high school. "You know what, Sebastian? Maybe you haven't grown up at all since you decided to make my life a living hell at school, but I have. I have other things happening in my life that makes me too busy to deal with your childish bullshit. Ok? I looked after you all day because clearly, you're too much of a toddler to be left alone. Now, I'm already late home, so either come with me, or stay here and try to get into Davith's pants, I don't care either way. In fact, if ya stay here I don't have to deal with your crap. Have a good evening Davith. Sebastian." He nodded at the two and grabbed his coat and bag. 

"See ya, Kurt." Davith smiled a little.   
Sebastian watched Kurt getting ready to leave, bemused and a little put-out with the older boy's rant. Without stopping to question why he was doing it, he stood and wondered over to Kurt. "You need to relax and not take things personally, princess." He smirked. "Guess the kitty has claws~"  
"I _will_ push you in front of the train." Kurt deadpanned, heading for the door without even slowing down for Sebastian. He had the kids to get back to, after all. God, this was going to be a long couple months...

\------------

Kurt placed his bag down, pointing to the coat rack. "Put your coat up, if you want." He muttered. He wasn't exactly excited, having his old school arch-nemesis in his house, around his family.   
Sebastian shrugged, putting his coat on the rack. "You live alone?"  
"Not exactly..." Kurt sighed, walking through to the kitchen. The sound of quick footsteps came rushing through and he quickly had a handful of twin toddlers, shouting out happily that he was home. "Hey, babies!" He chuckled tiredly. "Did you have fun with Uncle Elliot?"  
Harley nodded quickly, staying close to Kurt and eyeing Sebastian warily.   
  
Sebastian stared at Kurt, completely and utterly shocked. This was something he never could have predicted. Why did he have two kids? Were they his? Was he just looking after them? For once, he had no clue what to say.   
"Who's that?" Eli asked, pointing to Sebastian.   
Kurt chuckled a little. "This is Sebastian, an... old... classmate. From school." He fumbled.   
"Why does he look so confumes?" Harley asked, looking up at Kurt with her big eyes. 

"He's just got a silly face, honey." Kurt smiled, ruffling her unruly blonde curls. "Where's uncle Elliot?"  
Eli pointed to the lounge. "It's his turn on Halo!"   
Kurt chuckled. "Alright, go and sit with uncle Elliot while I make us all some drinks, ok?"  
"Ok!" Elie rushed back off again.   
"Bye-bye Cult!" Harley hugged him again before rushing after her brother. 

Kurt sighed, standing and glancing to Sebastian, who still didn't know what to say. "Close your mouth, Smythe, you'll catch flies." He muttered, wondering to the kettle anxiously. "Um, coffee?"  
"Did she call you cult?" Was the first thing that came out of Sebastian's mouth.   
Kurt chuckled a little, nodding. "One day she'll learn how to say my name..."  
Sebastian paused for another moment, still processing everything. "Are they... I mean..." He didn't know what to say. 

"They're not mine, no." Kurt shook his head. "Well... now, I guess they are... I never see it that way though..." He trailed off, staring down at the kettle. He tried not to think about that stuff much.   
Sebastian couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt at seeing that far-off, exhausted expression on the other boy's face. "Wait, is that why you're not at NYADA?"  
Kurt looked back to him, shaking himself out of that train of thought. "Um, look, it's been a long day, I really don't want to think about all of that. Milk? Sugar?"  
The other boy nodded a little. "Two sugar, thanks."  
Kurt nodded back, making three coffees and pouring two glasses of milk. "Eli, Harley, come in here and get your drinks, sweeties!" He called through. 

The kids came running back in, followed by Elliot, who smiled.   
Kurt handed the kids their glasses of milk, reminding them to be careful, before looking back to Elliot. "Sorry I'm late back, um, this is Sebastian Smythe, I, uh, went to school with him. Sebastian, this is Elliot Gilbert, an old band-mate and good friend."  
Elliot nodded at Sebastian, shaking his hand. "Hey, and it's no problem, Kurt, I love watching the little kiddos."  
"They weren't too much of a handful, were they?" Kurt pondered, worried they'd drove him up the wall. 

"Not once I get Halo out." Elliot chuckled. He thanked Kurt when he handed him one of the coffees.   
Kurt smiled. "Ok, I'm gonna go get into my comfies before the kids mess up my clothes, are you two ok here for a moment?"   
"Of course." Elliot ushered him off. Kurt glanced between the two of them worriedly, but rushed off to get changed regardless. It was difficult to get paint out of white and grey checked jeans, after all. "So, you two went to school together? How come I've not heard of you before?" Elliot asked Sebastian. 

The younger boy had come back to his senses now, and nodded a little. "Yeah, well, we kinda had a fun little rivalry going on and everything."  
"Wait, Sebastian Smythe? Hang on, weren't you the one who tried to steal his boyfriend off of him?" Elliot pondered. He didn't seem mad or anything, more curious. He knew Kurt had a very forgiving streak after all, he would forgive anyone given enough time.   
Sebastian shrugged a little. "Well, kind of. It was just a little game, though, ya know?" He sipped on his coffee awkwardly. Whatever he'd imagined Kurt's home life being, this wasn't it. Elliot was hot though, regardless. He wondered if Kurt was with him? But if the kids called him 'uncle Elliot', probably not? Honestly, he didn't understand any of this situation at all regardless. 

Elliot nodded a little, glancing back to see if the kids were anywhere near the room. "Well, as long as you realise that you're not both at school anymore, and... ya know, have you thought about the fact that _Kurt_ might not have thought it was a game?"  
He wasn't sure what to say to that. Wow, he'd never been so tongue-tied in his life as he had been since he arrived here. "Well..."  
"I'm just saying, Kurt's a great guy with a very forgiving streak. But, ya know, he's also looking after you while you're here and has invited you back to his house and is trying to be nice to you, so... you want my advice?"  
  
Sebastian nodded, sipping on his coffee again. "Um, sure, I guess."  
"Don't take his kindness for granted, because a lot of people have before." Elliot warned him, not unkindly. "Look, I don't really know you, so I don't want to overstep, but that guy has a lot of problems in his life that he doesn't need adding to. So, if you're gonna be sticking around, I hope you don't take him and his generosity for granted, or think you can... walk all over him or-or treat him like you did back in school. I mean, sure, don't get me wrong, Kurt is a great bitch. He can give it back as well as he can take it; but that doesn't mean what you say doesn't effect him and his already low self esteem. Right?"  
  
Sebastian nodded again, smiling a little. "Look, I probably won't be seeing Kurt again while I'm here, I'm staying with my aunt, today was only because she was busy. She has plenty of other assistants that I'm sure can try and handle me." He smirked, winking at the other boy. "Though, I guess I've never met anyone who can throw things back at me as well or as quick as Hummel. You're right about the bitch thing." He chuckled. "If I'm being honest, I didn't exactly like his boyfriend when we were at school, it was all this big thing with the Warblers and everything... But, anyway, I was going through a lot of shit back then and, well, sometimes I revert back, but I guess I'm trying to be better. Guess sometimes I forget Hummel might not have seen it as a friendly rivalry."

Elliot sighed. "I don't mean to get on at you, just be careful with that one, yeah?" He offered a settling smile, showing there was no hard feelings about their conversation.   
"I doubt I'll ever have to spend this much time with him again, but uh, while I can't promise anything, I guess I'll try." Sebastian shrugged. "So, um... you two?"  
Elliot chuckled. "Once. When we first met and we were drunk. But we decided to be friends instead." He sipped at his coffee. "I gotta go grab my stuff, got some advertising to do in the morning, do you... uh, do you mind watching the kids for a while? I'm sure Kurt will be back out soon?"  
  
"Uh, yeah, I guess." Sebastian nodded. "I have a little sister so it can't be much different, right?"  
Elliot smiled, patting him on the shoulder. "Right. Thanks, man. Just don't forget our little talk." He winked at him before heading off into the other room.   
"I'm not exactly jumping at the chance to see the princess again..." He muttered, though Elliot was already gone. He looked toward the lounge, shrugging and heading in. 

The kids were sat on the sofa, talking nonsense and colouring. "Hello." He smiled awkwardly, wondering in.   
"How do you know Cult?" The girl asked, turning on the sofa and staring at him.   
Sebastian chuckled a little, coughing awkwardly. "We went to school together."  
The boy joined his sister. "What's your name?" He demanded.   
"Sebastian." He smiled. "And you two are?"  
  
"I'm Eli, this is Harley." The boy introduced. "Are you going to be here tomorrow?"  
Sebastian tried not to choke on his drink. "What? Why?"  
The boy shrugged. "Cult is teaching from home tomorrow, we don't have to go to tute-ring!"   
"You don't like tutoring?" Sebastian asked, watching the kids shake their heads and pull faces of disgust. He chuckled at them.  
  
"Harley, can you show me where you put my scarf?" Elliot asked, wondering into the lounge.   
The little girl nodded, jumping down from the sofa and running out of the room with Elliot. 

"So, Eli?" Sebastian began, the boy nodded in response. He sat forward, acting conspiratorial. "How come you don't like your tutoring?"  
Eli shrugged a little. "I like it when Cult reaches us... Besides, teacher is stupid and the kids are mean."  
Sebastian rose a brow. "They're mean to you?"  
Eli nodded. "Yeah, me and Harley... She got into a fight with this other kid cuz, cuz some of them were saying ab-about Cult being... being uh, gay?"  
"Really?" Sebastian asked, surprised. "Well, what did they say?"  
  
"They said bad words Cult told us people should not say ever never!" Eli shook his head.   
"Does Kurt know they said this?" Sebastian asked softly.   
Eli shook his head again. "No, and you can't tell him!" He held his pinkie out. Sebastian chuckled and pinkie promised with him. "He doesn't know Harley hit that boy either."  
"Did she do damage?" Sebastian asked.   
"He was bleeding!" Eli told him, his eyes wide.   
Sebastian smirked. "Good."

Eli giggled, happy someone was condoning violence.   
"Look, Eli, there's nothing wrong with being gay, you know that?"   
The little boy nodded with a smile. "Yeah, it's uh, it's nat'ral!"  
"That's right. And you shouldn't start fights with random people, _but_ , sometimes it's good to fight back against this kind of stuff." Sebastian explained. 

"Are you gay?" Eli asked, the innocence of a child in his words. Of course there was no prejudice there, simple curiosity.   
Sebastian chuckled as Kurt wondered into the room, looking confused - and a lot more normal clothes-wise than Sebastian had ever seen him. "Yeah, kiddo. I'm gay."  
"Awesome! So-so you and Cult could-could like... go on dates?" Eli asked, tilting his head. 

Kurt stepped forward, picking the little boy up. "No, no, I don't think that's going to happen, sweetie." He shot an apologetic look to the other boy. "What have you two been talking about, huh?"  
"Eli was asking me about people who are gay and everything, so I just explained." Sebastian shrugged, winking at the little boy, who giggled, knowing the ex-Warbler was keeping his secret.   
"Oh god, you didn't explain in an... adult way, did you?" Kurt asked Sebastian, worried he'd going into details.   
"No, no, don't worry, princess." Sebastian held his hands up in defence and stood. "Oh, Harley's with Elliot, helping him find his scarf or something?"  
Kurt nodded. "Well, thank you for watching him." He offered an awkward smile. "Eli, wanna go brush your teeth, honey?"   
  
"Can't we stay up late tonight?" Eli pouted.   
Kurt laughed, placing the little boy down. "No, we have tutoring tomorrow, remember? But maybe tomorrow night, since it's the weekend afterward, ok?"  
Eli nodded. "Ok."  
"Now if you're good and are in bed in twenty minutes, I'll read you and Harls a story!" Kurt grinned, watching the little boy jump up and down before rushing off.   
Kurt stood back up from kneeling, shaking his head a little. "When do they run out of energy...?" He asked Sebastian awkwardly.   
  


The younger boy chuckled. "Well, my little sister is still a little rascal so I can't really tell you a straight answer." He shrugged. "And she's a fair bit older than those two."  
Kurt sighed. "One day I'll miss this, I'm sure." He folded his arms defensively, feeling anxious. "Um, did you... did you want a beer or, another coffee or something? Isabelle still hasn't contacted..."  
Sebastian nodded. "Ok, mother hen." He smirked, trying to defuse the tension.   
"Whatever chipmunk." Kurt rolled his eyes. "Come on then, I need to find Harley anyway. I hope Elliot hasn't tried to hide her away and take her home again, she insists whenever he comes round..." He lead them through to the kitchen where Elliot was grabbing his stuff and packing it up. "You heading off, El?" Kurt smiled at the other boy. 

"Yeah, gotta get them new posters you designed out in the morning." Elliot smiled back. "Sebastian, nice to meet you. Don't do anything you'll regret." He smirked, patting the younger boy on the shoulder.   
Sebastian chuckled. "Sure thing, Elliot."  
Kurt wondered over to the little girl, kneeling next to her. "Hey, munchkin. You ready to go to bed?"   
She nodded, making grabby hands at him. Kurt sighed, but a smile graced his face, turning around and letting her climb onto his back. She giggled as he adjusted her. 

"Back in a sec." He told the other two before wondering off toward the kids room.   
"I'll see ya later, Kurt!" Elliot called after him. "See ya, Sebastian. Don't forget what I said." He smirked.   
Sebastian nodded, holding his hands up in surrender. "Yup, I don't think I could. Have a good night. Don't dream about me too hard." He offered a wink and earned a laugh in response.   
"Smooth. See ya." And with that Elliot left.

And it dawned on Sebastian that he was in the home of a boy who had thought him one of his tormentors and bullies at school, who probably thought he was a horrible person. Of course, he felt he could defend most of his actions, but it wasn't exactly conductive of a relaxed environment. Maybe if he simply continued their usual back and forth banter than everything would be ok?


End file.
